


You Left Me a Legacy (Showed Me what Sacrifice Means)

by crazyinfj



Series: Febuwhump 2021 [14]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Endgame Timeline, F/M, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, I Made Myself Cry, Ironman 1 timeline, I’ll make you cry, Sorry Not Sorry, i made my beta cry, yeah that should tell you right there that it’s gonna be bad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:22:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29211066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazyinfj/pseuds/crazyinfj
Summary: Sacrifice is many things, overrated being one.At least, that’s what Tony thinks.But in a cave, in the middle of Afghanistan, Tony witnesses what sacrifice is in its rawest form.Yinsen, like a father teaching son, showed Tony what sacrifice truly was, so that he could do the same.Febuwhump Day #15 Prompt: Run. Don’t look back
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Ho Yinsen
Series: Febuwhump 2021 [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2135274
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	You Left Me a Legacy (Showed Me what Sacrifice Means)

**Author's Note:**

> *threatening smile*
> 
> You clicked this. You have no one to blame but your attraction to angst. ~~(Okay maybe I’m a _little_ to blame.)~~

Tony had never understood sacrifice. It seemed unnecessary. There was always another way, always a loophole that people just hadn’t thought about.

That wasn’t to say that he didn’t appreciate sacrifice. It was noble, but it seemed extravagant, even for Tony’s standards. Rhodey had almost sacrificed his entire career, or at that time, lack thereof, to stay with Tony after the death of his parents. 

It had spoken volumes to Tony just how much Rhodey had laid on the line. That had shown him that Rhodey was there until the end of time, for Tony, not the mask, and that was where Tony’s brushes with sacrifice ended. 

But now there was Yinsen. 

The man, who in a single day had done more for Tony than any other person had in his entire lifetime. That sentiment had been achieved on their first meeting, when Ho Yinsen had spent unimaginable hours picking metal bits the size of coins out of his chest. 

And it was poetic really. While picking shrapnel out of Tony’s heart, Ho Yinsen had simultaneously pried at the walls of the great Tony Stark. 

\--

“Ever considered moving to the US?” Tony asked as Yinsen used what were definitely unsanitized tweezers on the machine that would be implanted into his chest. It didn’t matter, not now. They were doing what they had to, this was their one shot.

“Is that an invitation?”

Tony’s eyes flickered downwards, “Yeah. Bring your family and I’ll make you head of R&D.”

“I’m not going to build weapons,” Yinsen responded immediately, his lips pressed into a frown. 

“Someone is dealing under the table. I’m going to find them, fire them, and then turn SI into the greatest green energy and technology company on earth. We already have the resources, we just need a direction.”

“Do you know _who_ is selling your weapons? What position do they hold? Who they are affiliated with?”

Tony paused, and shook his head, looking at Yinsen with desperation. “That’s why I need you. I can trust you.”

“I’m a scientist Tony, not an engineer, I’m barely suitable as a doctor.”

Tony rolled his eyes at this. “Sure Yinsen. You helped me build this reactor, and performed open heart surgery. _Sure._ ” 

“I will help you, if I can, but I would much rather be a consultant.”

He knew he was selfish, he offered the position to Yinsen because he couldn’t bear to lose another father figure because he didn’t give them enough. He had thought that, at least as head of R&D, he would still see Yinsen. But this man, who had seen him in the darkest of times, was offering to be so much more. It was almost too good to be true, but Yinsen was a man of his word. 

“Deal.” Tony held out his hand, and Yinsen shook it, with something like a promise dancing behind his eyes. 

—

“I’ll buy us time.”

“Yinsen!” Tony screamed, reaching out to the man, only to be trapped by walls of metal. 

_This hadn’t been part of the plan._

Gunshots reverberated through the walls of the cave. Without thinking about it, Tony went over the numbers in his head. Practically a hundred against one man. But Yinsen was smart, and he had survived more than Tony could fathom...right? 

The moment the upload finished, Tony ripped off the cords that held him in place, and with all the strength left in him, guided the suit of armor to the door. Blasting the hinges, Tony walked into his very first war zone. 

—

“You’ve got to get up, to see your family.”

“I’m going to see my family Tony, they’re not here anymore.”

Tony’s eyes widened before he realized the only reason Yinsen would keep it from him - his weapons did the deed.

“I’ll carry you.”

“Get out of here Tony. Run. Don’t ever look back.” 

“You’re coming with me. To be my consultant.”

“Tony…” Yinsen’s eyes drifted backwards, and his last movement was to hold Tony’s hand, “Don’t waste it, don’t...waste your life.” 

Vomit crawled up Tonys throat. But more than that, vengeance curled up and made a home in Tony’s heart. In bold rage, Tony blew up the life he had made for himself, murdering himself and going out like he had always expected - with an explosion. 

Except, when he was free falling in a coffin of metal, it didn’t feel like _falling_ \- it rather felt like rising. 

—

He still didn’t completely understand sacrifice.

His misconceptions were no more, those that dictated that sacrifice was extravagant, a beautiful way to end your life. 

Ho Yinsen’s sacrifice would never end up in the history books. It hadn’t been bright and bold, it had been, as Tony knew, impulsive and ugly. There wasn’t a single moment of beauty, it had been bloody and brutal. Practically alone, Yinsen had greeted death, because he knew it was _rest._

Created by the legacy of Ho Yinsen’s sacrifice, Tony could only hope to commemorate him by being Ironman, using the armor that had saved him to do the same for so many others. And maybe, he could prove, it had been worth it. 

_But would it ever be worth it?_

—

Now Tony knew why Yinsen had saved him. It was for this moment.

He could say he understood sacrifice now. It was when you gave up your own light, and dulled yourself to see another person shine. Or as it was right now: When the other’s lives were worth so much more than your own. 

If it had just been for four billion people, he would’ve done it. But within the eight billion people now back together, there was Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, Morgan, and Peter. And their safety mattered more than anything in the world, enough that Tony didn’t think about the fact that _he wouldn't see it come to fruition._

He glanced at Stephen Strange’s finger. One chance. In the back of his mind, he was transported back to a cave in the middle of Afghanistan. Yinsen was there, a glow, almost like a halo, around his head. 

“Or something big for 15 minutes.”

He _shouldn’t_ by human standards, be able to do this. But this was a last ditch effort, impulsive and ugly. Odds stacked against him, Tony didn’t let himself think of the opposition. He only thought of those he was protecting.

Somehow, Yinsen had foreseen this moment. Was this how he had felt? Like the world was crumbling around him, the page about to be turned but knowing you’re not on the other side?

“I am Ironman.” 

Except he wasn’t, at the end of the day. He was just a man in a can, trying to live up to the legacy of the greatest person he had ever known. 

His sacrifice and Yinsen’s would never measure up. As he spent his last moments of life, there lacked the distinctive gunshots in the background that for some reason, Tony thought would accompany his death. _Yinsen’s death had been surrounded by bullet shots, while his was soundtracked by the rustling of dead leaves._

Tony truly thought that when he died, he would be alone.Through the palladium poisoning, the wormhole, Killian, Siberia, and Titian, he had been alone. _Like Yinsen._

Instead, his teammates knelt in honor of him. His wife, here, present, ever the strong woman he loved, was able to kiss him goodbye. _Yinsen died so he could finally reconcile with his wife_. Peter, his pseudo-son, was, despite Tony’s dislike of the situation, able to see him before he left. _Yinsen’s sons didn’t get to say goodbye_. Rhodey, his best friend, was able to give him one final look. _Yinsen died without friends._

It was unfair, Tony knew that he had gotten the better end of the deal. Despite mirroring Yinsen’s actions of fifteen years ago, he was the other side of the coin. He would die written down in the books. He would die surrounded by those he had loved. But Yinsen? He would not even get to be a footnote in the book of Tony Stark.

And that Tony supposed, was a true sacrifice.

**Author's Note:**

> Fine, you can yell at me. Do it here: [ Tumblr!](http://crazyinfj.tumblr.com/) or in the comments. Seriously, rage, scream, cry, I’m here to pick you guys back up, because even I didn’t mean for this to get out of hand like this.
> 
> Oh, and she probably doesn’t want to be affiliated with such pain, but I’m dragging my lovely friend in who put up with my evilness. I quote her: _“Do you even know what fluffy means?”_ (She sent me the dictionary definition, I have photographic proof 😂) [Eylle9’s Tumblr! aka my wonderful beta](https://tumblr.com/blog/eylle9)
> 
> One last thing: ~~Just don’t think about Tony meeting Yinsen in the soul world and asking if he did okay~~
> 
> ~~Especially don’t think of Yinsen tracing the energy scars on Tony’s cheek and telling his _son_ how proud he is~~


End file.
